Dina- I think one place you can save a LOT of space and weight is in the toiletries & cosmetics department. I don't take full sizes of ANYthing. Either buy travel sizes or put your own products into little 2 oz. plastic bottles.

Another trick is to use a small-ish suitcase (mine is 24" and I check it). Start packing with the most imporant things, and stop when the suitcase is full. Check the weight on the bathroom scale. It should be bewteen 25-30 lbs.

Voila ;-)

My sister swears by the J.Jill wearever collection. It has classic styles that mix and match in basic colors and it's light weight and doesn't need any ironing, you can wash it in the sink and go.

Suggestion: Set out the 3 weeks worth of clothing you plan to take to Italy, use it at home! What has to be added, what was not necessary?
Travellers seem to think they have to change clothes every four hours..what do you do at home?